The suitability of tilapia as a raw material for surimi processing was investigated. Tilapia was a suitable raw material for surimi processing. The surimi has good colour and gel-forming ability, comparable with surimi from threadfin bream. The muddy taste and fishy odour of the fish was reduced by mild salt water treatment before deboning. There were no significant differences in the gel forming ability of surimi from the two species of tilapia used in this study. Iced stored tilapias were suitable for surimi processing up to 7 days of storage. The gel-forming ability of surimi containing 3% sucrose and 3% sorbitol (w/w) remained unchanged up to 10 months of frozen storage at –20 °C.